Wordul · all words

noun · 2 syllables · /'dɒl.i/

DOLLY

What does "DOLLY" mean?

A small wheeled platform for moving heavy loads, or a child's word for a doll.

Meanings

  1. A low wheeled platform or cart used to move heavy objects. They wheeled the refrigerator out on a dolly.
  2. A wheeled mount that lets a film camera roll smoothly during a shot. The camera glided toward the actor on a dolly. technical
  3. A child's name for a doll. The toddler tucked her dolly into a shoebox bed. informal
  4. To move a film camera toward or away from a subject on a wheeled mount. Let's dolly in slowly as she opens the letter. technical

Did you know?

  • Dolly the sheep, born in 1996 as the first mammal cloned from an adult cell, was named after Dolly Parton because the cell used came from a sheep's mammary gland.

Word origin

A pet form of the name 'Dorothy' (or 'Doll' + the diminutive '-y'); the mechanical senses arose from the idea of a small helper that moves things, the way a doll was once a small companion.

Remember it

A camera DOLLY and a child's DOLLY both get pushed around - one rolls on wheels, one rides in arms.

A little poem

The camera rolls in on its quiet wheels-
and a face we'd kept at arm's length suddenly feels.

couplet

Wordplay

  • The film crew and the toddler both insisted the dolly was theirs. One wanted to roll the camera; one just wanted a nap.

What it teaches

The right small wheel under a heavy thing turns a struggle into a glide.

Quick facts

What does DOLLY mean?

A small wheeled platform for moving heavy loads, or a child's word for a doll.

Is DOLLY a valid word?

Yes — DOLLY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is DOLLY?

DOLLY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does DOLLY come from?

A pet form of the name 'Dorothy' (or 'Doll' + the diminutive '-y'); the mechanical senses arose from the idea of a small helper that moves things, the way a doll was once a small companion.

What can DOLLY teach us?

The right small wheel under a heavy thing turns a struggle into a glide.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

Play today's Wordul →